US 12,334,320 B2
PVD tool to deposit highly reactive materials
Stephen L. Brown, Yorktown Heights, NY (US); Bruce B. Doris, Slingerlands, NY (US); and Mark C. Reuter, Montrose, NY (US)
Assigned to INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION, Armonk, NY (US)
Filed by INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION, Armonk, NY (US)
Filed on Nov. 8, 2017, as Appl. No. 15/806,454.
Application 15/806,454 is a continuation of application No. 15/463,159, filed on Mar. 20, 2017, abandoned.
Prior Publication US 2018/0269045 A1, Sep. 20, 2018
Int. Cl. H01J 37/34 (2006.01); C23C 14/24 (2006.01); C23C 14/34 (2006.01); H01J 37/32 (2006.01)
CPC H01J 37/3485 (2013.01) [C23C 14/24 (2013.01); C23C 14/3414 (2013.01); H01J 37/32 (2013.01); H01J 37/3426 (2013.01); H01J 37/3447 (2013.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for protecting a target source in a deposition tool, comprising:
depositing a thin film on a workpiece using a target source in a physical vapor deposition module, wherein the physical vapor deposition module includes a vacuum chamber with an electrically grounded chamber sidewall;
opening a gate of an enclosure automatically using a control mechanism, including an actuator operatively connected to the gate and a computer system in operative communication with the actuator, to expose an evaporator module within the enclosure to an interior of a vacuum chamber that houses the physical vapor deposition module, wherein the control mechanism selectively closes the gate during an entire deposition of the thin film, and wherein the gate and the evaporator module are facing the target source;
evaporating a coating from the evaporator module onto the target source of the physical vapor deposition module to protect the target source from exposure to reactants subsequent to depositing the thin film on the workpiece; and
opening the vacuum chamber to remove the workpiece with the deposited thin film, wherein opening the vacuum chamber exposes the target source with the coating to a degrading environment.